Pere Pons

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Pere Pons
Personal information
Full name Pere Pons Riera
Date of birth (1993-02-20) 20 February 1993 (age 32)
Place of birth Sant Martí Vell, Spain
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
AEK Larnaca
Number 17
Youth career
2002–2012 Girona
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2012 Girona B 8 (1)
2012–2019 Girona 197 (4)
2014Olot (loan) 14 (0)
2019–2022 Alavés 79 (4)
2022– AEK Larnaca 97 (10)
International career
2016–2019 Catalonia 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 June 2025

Pere Pons Riera (born 20 February 1993) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Cypriot First Division club AEK Larnaca.

Contents

Club career

Girona

Born in Sant Martí Vell, Girona, Catalonia, Pons joined Girona FC's youth setup in 2002, aged nine. [1] He started his senior career with the reserves in the regional leagues, in 2012.

On 13 September 2012, Pons made his first-team debut, coming on as a second-half substitute for Joseba Garmendia in a 2–0 away loss to Sporting de Gijón in the second round of the Copa del Rey. [2] He first appeared in the Segunda División three days later, again replacing Garmendia in the 5–0 home rout of UD Las Palmas. [3]

Pons scored his first professional goal on 6 October 2013, opening a 1–1 home draw against CE Sabadell FC. [4] On 29 January 2014, he was loaned to Segunda División B side UE Olot until June. [5] He subsequently returned to Girona in the summer, and was made first choice by manager Pablo Machín. [6]

On 21 November 2014, Pons renewed his contract with the club, signing until 2017. [7] He contributed two goals [8] [9] in 38 matches during the 2016–17 campaign, in a first-ever promotion to La Liga. [10]

Pons agreed to an extension on 15 August 2017, until 2020. [11] He made his debut in the top flight four days later, starting in a 2–2 home draw with Atlético Madrid. [12]

Pons scored his first goal in the main division on 3 November 2018, the only away against Valencia CF. [13] [14]

Alavés

On 4 July 2019, after suffering relegation, Pons signed a three-year deal with Deportivo Alavés still in the top tier. [15] He totalled 82 games during his spell at the Mendizorrotza Stadium, [16] scoring his first goal on 17 December 2019 in a 3–1 defeat at amateurs Real Jaén in the domestic cup. [17]

AEK Larnaca

On 31 August 2022, Pons moved to Cypriot First Division side AEK Larnaca FC on a two-year contract. [18] In August 2024, the 31-year-old signed a two-year extension with the club. [19]

International career

On 28 December 2016, Pons made his debut for the Catalonia national team, coming on as a half-time substitute for Sergi Roberto in a 3–3 draw against Tunisia (4–2 penalty loss). [20]

Career statistics

As of match played on 11 May 2024 [21]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Girona 2012–13 Segunda División 9010100
2013–14 10130131
2014–15 42010430
2015–16 39000100
2016–17 39200392
2017–18 La Liga 31000310
2018–19 34120361
Total2044702114
Olot (loan) 2013–14 Segunda División B 14000140
Alavés 2019–20 La Liga30111312
2020–21 22210231
2021–22 27110281
Total79431825
AEK Larnaca 2022–23 Cypriot First Division 3040090394
2023–24 3442041405
Total6482013100799
Career total361161211310038618

    Honours

    AEK Larnaca

    References

    1. Bernad Suelves, Marc (10 May 2016). "Pere Pons tiene ya dos ofertas para jugar en Primera División" [Pere Pons already has two offers to play in Primera]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 August 2017.
    2. Ceñal, Jaime (13 September 2012). "El torneo del K.O. como bálsamo" [The knockout tournament as balm]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 November 2012.
    3. "El Girona le saca los colores a Las Palmas" [Girona drain Las Palmas]. Marca (in Spanish). 16 September 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
    4. "El Girona i el Sabadell empaten en el derbi català (1–1)" [Girona and Sabadell draw in Catalan derby (1–1)]. Ara (in Catalan). 7 October 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
    5. Franch Molinet, Narcís (29 January 2014). "El Girona cede a Pere Pons al Olot hasta el mes de junio" [Girona loan Pere Pons to Olot until June] (in Spanish). Vavel . Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    6. Puente, Diego (5 May 2017). "El capitán del Girona FC: Pere Pons" [The captain of Girona FC: Pere Pons] (in Spanish). Sport Huesca. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
    7. Roura, Jordi (21 November 2014). "El Girona millora el contracte de Pere Pons" [Girona improve the contract of Pere Pons]. Diari de Girona (in Catalan). Retrieved 10 April 2015.
    8. "Aluvión de goles en Montilivi" [Goal flood at Montilivi]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 11 September 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
    9. "El Girona resuelve por la vía rápida" [Girona take care of business through the fast lane]. Sport (in Spanish). 30 October 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
    10. "Machín, como Zidane: "Uno de los días más felices de mi carrera"" [Machín, like Zidane: "One of the happiest days of my career"]. Marca (in Spanish). 5 June 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
    11. "Pere Pons renueva su compromiso con el Girona hasta junio de 2020" [Pere Pons renews his commitment with Girona until June 2020] (in Spanish). Girona FC. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
    12. Pérez, José I. (19 August 2017). "El ADN del Atlético no se ficha" [You can't sign Atlético's DNA]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 August 2017.
    13. Danés, Jordi (3 November 2018). "Enorme victoria del Girona en Mestalla" [Huge win for Girona at Mestalla]. El Periódico (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 April 2025.
    14. Aguilar, B.; Cusí, P.; Díaz, S. (3 November 2018). "El Girona se lleva los tres puntos de Mestalla" [Girona take the three points from Mestalla]. El Nacional (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 April 2025.
    15. "Pere Pons ficha por el Deportivo Alavés" [Pere Pons signs for Deportivo Alavés] (in Spanish). Deportivo Alavés. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
    16. "Pere Pons pone rumbo a Chipre" [Pere Pons heads to Cyprus]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 31 August 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
    17. "El Alavés se queda fuera de la Copa del Rey tras perder ante el Jaén" [Alavés are knocked out of the King's Cup after losing against Jaén]. El Español (in Spanish). 17 December 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
    18. "Υπογραφή συμφωνίας με Pere Pons" [Signing of agreement with Pere Pons] (in Greek). AEK Larnaca FC. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
    19. "Ανανέωση της συνεργασίας με Pere Pons" [Renewal of collaboration with Pere Pons] (in Greek). AEK Larnaca FC. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
    20. "Catalonia impress before going down to Tunisia after penalty shootout". Sport. 28 December 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
    21. Pere Pons at Soccerway